Speech-Language Pathology, M.C.D. (CIP 51.0204)

Cooperative 3+2 Program with Centenary College

The Speech-Language Pathology program coordinates a 3+2 program in conjunction with the Psychology Department at Centenary College of Louisiana. This program enables highly motivated individuals to complete an undergraduate degree in psychology (through Centenary) and a graduate degree in speech-language pathology (through LSU Health Sciences Center at Shreveport) in five years.

Centenary College students in the 3+2 program must formally apply to the Speech-Language Pathology program per below Method of Application. Admission to the Speech-Language Pathology program is guaranteed to Centenary College students in the 3+2 program meeting the following criteria:

• Minimum cumulative undergraduate GPA of 3.0 (on a 4.0 scale) at Centenary College by the application deadline.
• Graduate Record Examination (GRE) from within the last five years with a minimum 300 combined quantitative and verbal scores. Scores from the analytical writing portion of the GRE are required.
• Reference letter from the psychology department chair at Centenary College.

Minimum Requirements for Admission

Admission to the Speech-Language Pathology program is on a competitive basis. The following are the minimum admission requirements for application to the program:

1. Baccalaureate degree from a regionally accredited U.S. college or university by the first day of class in the program.
2. Minimum cumulative undergraduate GPA of 3.0 (on a 4.0 scale) by the application deadline.
3. Undergraduate transcripts should document successful completion of one or more courses in each of the following four areas: #1) biological science, #2) chemistry or physics, #3) statistics, and #4) social/behavioral sciences.
4. Graduate Record Examination (GRE) scores from within the last five years by the application deadline. There is no minimum score; however, the GRE score is heavily weighted in the evaluation and ranking of applications. For applicants who have taken the exam multiple times, the program only counts the most recent scores for all sections (no super-scoring).
5. Three reference letters completed by instructors or supervisors by the application deadline.
6. Admissions essay responding to annual prompt listed on the program website.
7. Selected applicants will be contacted to arrange an interview.
8. Accepted students must certify that they meet the technical standards established by the program with or without reasonable accommodations.

Technical Standards for Speech-Language Pathology

Technical standards are essential abilities and characteristics required for admission, progression, and graduation from the Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center at Shreveport (LSUHSC-S) School of Allied Health Professions (SAHP). The following standards consist of certain minimum physical and cognitive abilities and sufficient mental and emotional stability to assure that students are able to complete the entire course of study and participate fully in all aspects of the academic and clinical curriculum, with or without reasonable accommodations:

Sensory: A student must possess sufficient visual and auditory skills-as well as skills of observation to evaluate, interpret, and treat communication deficits effectively. These skills include the ability to:

1. Identify deviant articulation.
2. Recognize abnormal voice characteristics.
3. Identify characteristics of dysfluency.
4. Recognize oral and written language disorders in the areas of semantics, pragmatics, syntax, morphology, and phonology.
5. Read and comprehend text, numbers, tables, and graphs.

Motor and Mobility Skills: A student must possess adequate motor and mobility skills to:

1. Manipulate testing and treatment materials.
2. Perform moderately taxing continuous physical work. This work may require prolonged sitting and/or standing.
3. Use a computer keyboard and mouse to operate laboratory instruments.
4. Access transportation to all clinical and academic placements.

Communication: A student must possess adequate communication skills to: 

1. Communicate professionally and effectively with individuals and groups (i.e., faculty members, fellow students, staff, clients, and other health care professionals).
2. Communicate professionally and effectively in recorded format (writing [e.g., SOAP notes, diagnostic and treatment reports], typing, graphics, and/or telecommunication).
3. Demonstrate proficiency in English for both oral and written communication.
4. Produce speech with sufficient intelligibility and fluency to provide an effective speech model for clinical purposes.

Behavioral Skills: A student must possess adequate behavioral skills to: 

1. Manage the use of time effectively and systematize actions to complete professional and technical tasks within realistic constraints.
2. Demonstrate the emotional health necessary to apply knowledge effectively and to exercise appropriate judgment.
3. Be flexible and creative in order to adapt to professional and technical change and function in new and stressful environments (e.g., provide co-treatment in noisy area, conduct testing or treatment in a hospital ward, deal with problematic client temperaments, and provide rapid turn-around for diagnostic results).
4. Recognize potentially hazardous situations and proceed safely to minimize risk of injury to clients, self, and nearby individuals.
5. Support and promote the activities of fellow students and of health care professionals in an effort to facilitate a team approach to learning, task completion, problem solving, and client/patient care.
6. Demonstrate honesty, compassion, ethics, and responsibility, upholding the ASHA Code of Ethics, and the LSUHSC-S School of Allied Health Professions Policy and Procedures Relating to Student Conduct, Dismissals, and Appeals.

LSUHSC-S seeks to comply with the American with Disabilities Act by providing reasonable accommodations, including resources and services, for students with disabilities, chronic medical conditions, a temporary disability, or pregnancy complications resulting in difficulties with accessing learning opportunities.

It is the responsibility of a student with a disability (or a student who develops a disability) and who needs accommodations to contact the SAHP Admissions and Records Office to initiate the procedure for requesting accommodations and provide adequate documentation of the general nature and extent of the disability and the functional limitations to be accommodated. All requests are reviewed by school’s ADA Officer to determine what reasonable accommodations, if any, are appropriate for the student.

For further information, please view the LSUHSC-S Student Policy for Requesting Accommodations.

Method of Application

Procedures for applying for admission to the Speech-Language Pathology program are as follows:

1. The LSUHSC-S Speech-Language Pathology program accepts applications for admission via the Communication Sciences and Disorders Centralized Application Service (CSDCAS). The Speech-Language Pathology program website has further instructions.
2. Selected applicants will participate in an admissions interview and the action taken by the Admissions Committee will be forwarded in writing to the applicant.
3. Accepted applicants are expected to notify the program in writing as to whether or not they plan on enrolling in the program by a date noted in their acceptance letter. Upon notification of acceptance, a $150.00 non-refundable commitment fee is required. This fee will be credited toward the first semester’s tuition.
4. Accepted applicants are assigned a provisional admission status until meeting conditions outlined in the acceptance letter and completing pre-matriculation requirements (e.g. drug screen, criminal background check) set forth by the Office of the Registrar. Failure to meet these requirements may result in revocation of acceptance offer.

Transfer of Credit

Up to nine hours of graduate credit earned at another accredited institution may be transferred. There is no automatic transfer of credit towards a graduate degree; transfer credit is subject to the approval of the department head/program director, with input from faculty. Transfer credit will not be approved for any course with a grade of C or lower. Graduate credit is never accepted for courses taken on a pass/fail basis.

Non-Resident Fee Waiver

Students enrolled in the LSUHSC-S Speech-Language Pathology program that are residents of Arkansas and Texas are eligible for in-state tuition rates via the Non-Resident Fee Waiver.

Academic Progression Requirements

The following requirements pertain to the status of academic progress for students enrolled in the Speech-Language Pathology Therapy program.

1. Satisfy the scholastic requirements listed in the SAHP general section of this catalog/bulletin.
2. The student must satisfactorily complete all requirements for graduation in not more than four calendar years. This requirement may be waived only under extreme circumstances. A written request must be made through the Department Head/Program Director, for approval by the Dean.
3. A grade of C or lower in clinical practicum (SPATH 6701 , SPATH 6702 , SPATH 6703 , SPATH 6704 , or SPATH 6705 ) is considered unsatisfactory and will result in clinical probation. A student who receives a grade of C or lower will be allowed to enroll in clinical practicum for one semester during which the student may be required to follow specialized remedial procedures. Continuation in the program following an additional C in clinical practicum (consecutive or non consecutive) must be approved by the Department Head/Program Director. If the student’s clinical practicum grade falls below C, clinic hours accumulated for that semester will not be counted toward the clinic hours required for ASHA certification.

Grade appeals may be made in accordance with the procedures set forth in the section of this catalog/bulletin entitled “Student Grade Appeals ”.

Curriculum

• Speech-Language Pathology Curriculum